


Aquamarine

by Aquaplier



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Crystal Gems (Steven Universe), Alternate Universe - Steven Universe Fusion, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-08-13 06:00:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7965265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquaplier/pseuds/Aquaplier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yes, she's a gem from Homeworld. Yes, she fought for them. But only for a little. Was it true that gems never truly had to be what they were made for? She didn't know. But she did know about the Crystal Gems. She wanted to be like them. She wanted to be a part of them. But she was ashamed, afraid. They didn't know of her presence.</p><p>What is a gem like her to do?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Lonely Beginnings

The rogue Gem sat in her secret cave on some part of Beach City, listening to the crashing of the waves against the shore nearby. It was thousands of years after the war between Earth and Homeworld had seemingly ended, yet here she sat, hidden from the the rest of the world. Why exactly, she had no idea. Well, actually, she knew exactly why.  
It was fear.  
Fear of being discovered by them- the Crystal Gems.  
It was never anything bad; she admired how dedicated they were to keeping Earth safe. But she was afraid of how they would react when they heard that she had fought for the opposing side for a part of the war.  
She had been made at the beginning of the fight, not knowing anything but what she was made for- battle. She was a special Aquamarine, though. Homeworld had been making new Gems to go into battle, and new generation Aquamarines were one of them. Not only were they skilled in the new technology, but fighting as well. One of their special abilities included the power to generate electricity. It wasn't until she was given orders to go to Earth and fight that she realized how different the Gems there were from her.  
Quartz soldiers were fighting for the planet, a pearl was battling when they were made to serve, Bismuths were making weapons for the Crystal Gems instead of making buildings for more important Gems. She had heard rumors of being able to do things that they wanted to do, be things that they wanted to be, instead of the jobs that they were given when they first came from the ground. Aqua had always secretly dreamed of doing other things than the same thing everyday, unknown to her lead counterpart.  
So one day, she disappeared. To fight for her dream, to be someone different, tired of doing the same thing every day of her existence. Of course, at the time, no place was ever desolate during the war, and everyone battled nonstop. So she had to fight for her life, nearly getting shattered or poofed every single day for thousands of years.  
But it was all worth it, she thought to herself as she brought her knees up to her chest. Humans had come to the strip of land once the war died down, and named it Beach City, a rather fitting name, given its location. She enjoyed their presence, getting to know the people there as they changed in their own ways.  
She visited the boardwalk every so often, hanging around and wearing a stray hoodie she found once to hide her face. She would even get doughnuts from time to time- but only because they tasted delicious. She knew that she, like all other Gems, didn't require sustenance, but Aqua was mainly in it for the flavor.  
When she had realized that the Crystal Gems were staying at the town, she was startled, to say the least. But she refused to leave albeit her worries. She was fairly comfortable where she stayed, alone. But there was always enough to keep her busy, what with corrupted Gems wandering around.  
That was another thing- practicing battle with corrupted Gems. She always knew that she was lucky enough to still be unaffected by the diamonds' fury, but always felt bad when she saw one wandering around. The Crystal Gems were usually the ones to get the job done, but Aquamarine liked to help, too. She had to be quick about it if she wanted to take care of the Gem, because the Crystal Gems were usually there before she could do any real damage. As of this moment, she had -she counted, one, two, three- six corrupted Gems. Two centipeedles, two corrupted fusions, one Emerald, and one Quartz.  
She liked to take care of them, watching them float in their bluish-green bubbles as she kept them safe from any further harm or suffering. Aqua could never think of shattering another Gem, even if they did look like they wanted to kill her. That was one of the things she was glad she could do now- be merciful. If she had still been working for Homeworld, they would've made her shatter these poor souls in a second. She could never bring herself to do such a thing, nor did she want to.  
The Gem sighed, brushing her green-blue hair out of her face as she traced pictures in the sand at her feet, one of the things she often found herself doing when she got bored. A lone crab scuttled by, pinching at her as it passed. She prodded at it, and it lashed out with one of its pincers.  
"Ooh, feisty one, aren't you?" She smiled to herself, picking it up. It pinched her finger, making her yelp in surprise and drop it. "Okay, okay, I'll leave you alone!" Aqua sighed once more in annoyance, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin there. Glancing at the takeout bag she got from the Big Donut earlier, she remembered her encounter with a particular someone a few hours earlier.


	2. Meeting Steven (Kind Of)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little run-in with the youngest member of the Crystal Gems.

Aquamarine remembered from early that morning, when the shops on the boardwalk were just starting open. She thought about having a donut, and possibly hanging around for a minute or two, just to interact with actual people than a randomly passing crab. So she shape-shifted herself a hoodie and solve jeans, the translucent gem on her upper left arm glowing as she did so. She didn't want to raise any suspicion with the diamonds on her current outfit.   
The Gem was glad that the shops were only a short walk away from her small home, not having to rush too much in order to get to the Big Donut. She didn't want to be seen by any of the Crystal Gems. After all, they were the main reason for her hiding. Not that she blamed them, of course, it was her own bashfulness and fear that kept her in one spot for the majority of the time.  
She walked onto the planks of the boardwalk, a few squeaking under her feet as she walked past the arcade, the pizza and French fry restaurants. Then there it was- the Big Donut. Aqua always kinda liked the big donut on the top of the building, thought it gave it a lot of character.   
The bell above the door rang as the Gem stepped inside, smelling the freshly delivered donuts in their cases. It always made her hungry.  
"Welcome to the Big Donut!" A cheery voice greeted from the other side of the counter. She looked up from under her hood, seeing the smile that Sadie held on her face. She wasn't quite sure if it was fake, or if she really enjoyed being there.   
"Uh, hey. Could I have a strawberry icing donut, please?" Aqua had already started getting her change out, digging through her pockets get the dollar she had been saving, when the bell to the front door rang. She jumped, startled at the noise. Who could possibly be up this early in the morning and not be working?   
"Good morning, Sadie," a boy's voice greeted as it approached. “I see you've got your first customer here, already.”  
“Hey Steven. Yeah, I know. They seem pretty mysterious don’cha think?” Aqua placed the dollar on the countertop nervously, hearing the boy stop beside her. He gasped in playful surprise.  
“Whoa! You're totally right, Sadie,” he said, the curiosity in his voice being evident. “I wonder what this… Mystery Customer's name is…?” Aqua knew Steven was waiting for an answer.   
“U-uh… I don't… have a name.”   
“Don't have a name?” The donut girl asked, handing Aqua her strawberry one. “That's weird. Everyone has a name! My name is Sadie, and this is Steven,” she said, gesturing to the kid standing beside her. The Gem caught a glimpse of him, his curly hair, star on his shirt and a friendly sparkle in his eye.   
“It's him,” she thought to herself. The kid who seemed to replace Rose Quartz, who used to be the leader of the Crystal Gems.   
She remembered that one day, the Quartz just disappeared without explanation. Then, a few years later, this human shows up. He had the same shield as her. Maybe she just shifted into him? No, that didn't make sense. He wasn't the same color as her. His hair was black, and his clothes… weren't attached to his body. But his gem was a Rose Quartz, on the same place of his body. She never really thought about that until now. Steven stood there, a smile lighting up his chubby face as he held out his hand to her.  
“Hi! I'm Steven Universe. But you can call me Steven.” Aqua didn't move to shake hands, only grabbing her donut and taking a bite of it.  
“H-hello.” Her nerves made it hard for her to swallow. “Sorry, I have to go, now,” she said, rushing out of the door of the Big Donut. She heard Steven call to her, but ignored it as she rushed back to her hidey hole.  
Now, she sighs, recollecting that event and how close Steven had been to seeing her face. It terrified her, yet she felt bad. He seemed very nice and friendly, and she doubted that he would harm her in any way. But you can never trust people that only seem harmless. Aqua learned that the hard way.   
Suddenly, a loud 'BOOM’ snapped her out of her thoughts, shaking the earth beneath her. That sound was all too familiar to her.  
A corrupted gem was causing chaos.


	3. Cover Blown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crystal Gems and Aqua finally meet in person

The familiar rumble that shook the ground beneath her filled Aqua with a rush of determination and excitement. She peeked out from the entrance to her cave and saw the corrupted gem. Another centipeedle. She sighed as she approached it and its smaller spawns, slightly disappointed. She had been hoping for something different this time, but it had to do for now. Inhaling quietly, she concentrated, her gem glowing and sparkling as her shoulder-length hair flowed magically. She summoned her weapon, a set of extendable nunchucks. 

“Hey!” She called to the corrupted gem, grabbing its attention instantly. It hissed at her, acid dripping from its jaws as the smaller ones charged in her direction. Quickly, she dodged and poofed them, trying not to get hit by any of their harmful liquids. After defeating all of them, she finally got to focus on the mother. 

It screeched louder than before, obviously furious at Aqua. It spit its corrosive acid at her, but she dodged it quickly as it burned the sand in the spot she had been standing in. Relentlessly, it spat and squirted streams at the lone gem, and it was starting to get a little hard to keep up. Eventually, she had to hide behind a nearby boulder to catch her breath and refocus.

“Man,” the gem thought to herself, “it usually isn’t this difficult. It’d really help if it weren’t so relentless…” 

“I’m just trying to help you!” She shouted to the Centipeedle, but she was ignored as it continued to corrode the boulder. She started to panic. Then, right on cue, she heard a voice from the other side of the rock.

“Oh, Centipeedle!” Aqua’s heart skipped a beat. She knew that voice. It was a bit squeaky, but extremely sassy. The rampaging gem stopped its assault on the rock that Aqua was hiding behind, turning to face the voice that emerged from behind it. She peeked around what was left of her hiding space, and saw what she expected to see- the Crystal Gems back at it, Amethyst with her whip at the front of the group, Garnet with her gauntlets, and Pearl with her spear. And also, sure enough, was Steven, the little guy looking pretty prepared and rather tough as he prepared to subdue the corrupted gem in front of him.

“Why don't you fight something that’s not a giant rock?” Garnet taunted slightly, getting in a fighting stance. And while Aquamarine was glad that the heroes hand come to her rescue- unknown to them- she was having difficulty finding a way to escape without being seen. This realization hit her as the Centipeedle was sent flying towards the rock she was behind, making it crack and crumble slightly. So, within the few seconds she had left of her hiding, she did the only thing she could think of.

She ran.

Digging her feet into the sand below her, she pushed and ran as fast as she could. She only glanced behind herself after a few feet to see what was happening. The other gems had almost defeated the insect-like, corrupted one, and Aqua was starting to go from a confident stride to a panicked sprint, arms flailing and almost tripping over her own feet. Unfortunately, she fell face-first into the sand, just a few feet from her home in that small cave. She lay still for a few seconds, hoping that her turquoise color would somehow blend into the beige sand.

It obviously didn’t work.

Footsteps approached her as she lay there stupidly, unmoving like an animal playing dead. She half expected to get picked up by the collar and faced with a furious Garnet, or to be threatened by an interrogating Pearl. Surprisingly, the footsteps stopped only a foot or so away from her. 

“Uh, hello? Are you okay?”

“Steven! Don’t get too close! She may be dangerous,” Aqua heard Pearl warn the half-human boy. The fallen gem rolled her eyes as she pushed herself off of the ground and sat up, brushing the sand off of her skin and out of her hair, and spitting a little from the bit of sand in her mouth. 

“She doesn’t look dangerous,” Steven replied, looking back at his team. Pearl looked up at Garnet for some kind of confirmation.

“Well, she did faceplant into the sand as she was running,” Garnet said calmly.

“Oooh! You just got told!” Amethyst put in as Pearl shot her a look.

“But that doesn’t mean she’s not a threat, Steven,” the fusion added, “so be careful.” He gave her a nod in response, and looked back at Aqua who was now standing up. His eyes suddenly lit up with realization.

“Hey! You were the Mysterious Customer!” Aqua smiled sheepishly at him as the other three looked on, confused.

“The whaa-?” Amethyst asked.

“At the Big Donut this morning,” Steven explained, “a Mysterious Customer came in to get a donut. She wouldn’t put her hood down, so i could only see part of her face, but I didn’t get her name.” He looked back at Aqua for an answer. She sighed. She couldn’t say no to that face.

“My name’s Aquamarine,” she said, giving in. “I stay in the little cave over there behind those bushes-” she motioned to her hiding spot- “...for the last five hundred years.” Looking back at the Crystal Gems, she waited for them to respond. There was obviously no reason to trust her at this point, but she hoped that they wouldn’t kidnap and/or pummel her. It felt like forever before someone said anything, but Garnet eventually spoke up.

“Are you from Homeworld?” She asked calmly. Aqua’s breath hitched in her throat, but she tried to remain calm.

“I used to be. But I’m my own gem, and have been since I got to this planet.” Steven gasped in surprise. 

“You sound kinda like us,” he said happily, excitement lighting up his face, “maybe you could help us fight for Earth some time, since you’ve been here so long.” He looked back at the group of Gems. They all obviously disagreed.

“No,” Garnet answered, holding up a hand as her gauntlets disappeared. “But she can stay with us for a little while, if she’d like.” Pearl immediately shouted her disagreement in shock.

“What?!”

“Coolsies,” Amethyst smiled, her whip disappearing as well, “a new roommate!” Steven’s reaction was similar.

“Awesome! I can’t wait to show you around our home. And maybe you can sleep on the couch!... If you like sleeping.”

“I could take a nap if I wanted to,” Aqua giggled.

“All right then,” Garnet announced, “let’s go home.”

“Wait!” Aqua ran up to the deactivated corrupted gem that had been defeated earlier, and picked it up carefully. She then bubbled it, and pressed the top of it, making it disappear. There were quiet whispers of amazement and surprise as she did so. 

“You can bubble gems?” Steven asked in awe. Pearl dramatically echoed his question as she grasped Garnet’s arm. 

“She can bubble gems!” Aqua rolled her eyes, smiling a bit in amusement. 

“Yeah, I can.”

“Where do they go?” Amethyst asked, curious. 

“Well, they go to my home- that little cave behind the bushes that I mentioned earlier. You can come look at them, if you want?” So the four defenders of Earth followed her to the place she had been living in for the past few hundred years. The cave looked small, but it was only because the entrance was so tiny you had to crawl in. But once you got in, it was actually a fair size for someone who lived by themselves and never needed to use the bathroom or sleep. Luckily, the hole was just big enough for Pearl, Amethyst, and Garnet to look into while Steven went inside and Aqua waited nearby. They all had eyes on the eight gems she had taken care of so far.

“Impressive,” Garnet mumbled under her breath. 

“It’s so lonely in here,” Steven said in slight concern. “Don’t you ever get bored or feel alone?” 

“Sometimes,” Aqua shrugged, “but i like to talk to the little creatures that go by, specifically the crabs. Other times, I just talk to myself.” Steven reached up and held a bubbled emerald delicately in his hands. 

“Should we just leave them here?” Pearl asked Garnet. “It might be dangerous to leave them here if someone else finds them.”

“They belong here,” Garnet responded, “and I’m sure that Aquamarine worked hard to take care of these poor gems all by herself. They’ll be fine. They’re hidden well enough.”

“The crabs can look after them,” Steven joked as he put the corrupted gem back and lifted a passing crustacean.

“Yes, Steven. The crabs will look after the gems.” The crab that Steven held clipped his pincers in the air, as if trying to show how brave it was.

“Yay!” He put it back down and crawled out of Aqua’s hiding space, dusting the sand off of his pants as he stood back up.

“That should be everything then,” Pearl said nervously. She looked at Aqua in concern as she and Steven spoke, a giggle coming from her and a smile from the boy, then up to Garnet once more. “Are you sure about this Garnet…?” 

“Trust me,” she responded, returning the gaze and adjusting her glasses. “It’ll be fine.”

“Let’s go!” Steven said cheerfully, leading the way back to their house. “I’ve got lots of stuff to show to you!” 

“Okay,” Aquamarine smiled as she followed him, the rest of the Crystal Gems only a little behind. Amethyst walked by Garnet and Pearl, watching the two new friends. 

“She seems cool,” she said.


	4. A Temporary Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Also known as Introductions and Memories

“We’re here!” Steven announced as he, the Crystal Gems, and Aquamarine approached the Universe household. Garnet, Amethyst, and pearl had been whispering quietly to each other as they walked behind she and Steven. They were talking about her- no doubt about it- but the little guy was really good at keeping her mind off of it. He had spent the entire time walking with her and telling her about everyone that he knew- everyone from the boardwalk, and even a friend named Connie. Aqua thought it was cute how he talked about her with such admiration.

The sight of the Crystal Gems’ headquarters stopped Aqua in her tracks.

“Whoa,” she whispered in awe, amazed at the statue that held the building. It looked like some kind of fusion, a giant woman with a mask and three arms, Steven’s house being cradled in two of them. It was a bit worn and falling apart, but how ancient it was made it look even more beautiful. Aqua silently wondered who it was, but was interrupted by Garnet’s voice, making her jump.

“Remember what I said,” she told her as she stopped beside her, “you can only stay for a little while.”

“O-okay,” Aqua said, looking up at her. “But… how will I know when I need to leave?”

“You’ll know.” The fusion continued towards the house, leaving Aqua behind. _Well, that was vague._

“Aqua!” Steven called from the porch. She hadn’t even realized that he had gotten up there already.

“Come inside!” “Coming!” She walked quickly up to the base of the house, then up the stairs a bit more slowly. Once she got to the top, she looked out at the sea from there. The view was beyond amazing, the afternoon sun making the ocean water sparkle brightly. The breeze blew through her hair, as if welcoming her in a way. Steven walked out of the house, opening the screen door and holding an arm out.

“After you,” he said. Aqua smiled in amusement, curtseying.

“Why, thank you, sir.” Steven laughed goofily as she giggled at him and walked through the doorway. Amazingly, the inside of the house felt very comforting and unique. Steven’s bed was up a little stairway and there were quite a few toys up there as well, along with a television set. Below the staircase was something that was probably a closet, and a couch and coffee table sat next to it. There was a small kitchen with all of the necessities of a regular kitchen, and stools at a little bar table.

But what really caught the rogue gem’s attention was what she saw a few feet ahead of her. A warp pad- something she hadn’t seen in ages. It looked unbroken, which meant it was probably in fully functioning condition. There was also a door behind it that had a star in the middle of it, with five different colored gems on every point, each one different color- red, blue, pink, purple, and white. The sight filled her with curiosity.

“Looks just as cool on the inside as it does on the outside,” Aqua commented, walking over to the kitchen counter and running her hand across it.

“Thanks,” Pearl responded cockily, “we built it ourselves after the last war had ended.” “You all helped build this?” “Yeah, all of us!” Amethyst sat on the kitchen counter next to where Aqua stood, flicking her purple hair out of her face with a smirk.

“Me, Pearl, Garnet, and…” Her face fell for a moment, a look of sadness crossing her face briefly as she looked away. The building filled with an awkwardly depressing atmosphere. Aqua became concerned.

“And who? Did… something happen?” “And Rose Quartz,” Garnet spoke up, looking at a picture above the doorway. Aqua followed her line of sight, and saw a portrait of who most likely was this… Rose Quartz. She was big, and had spirals of glossy, pink hair that fell around her face. Her gem was located on her stomach, a yellow star surrounding it. Aqua had to admit- she looked amazing.

“Her?” She walked up closer to the frame to get a closer look. “Wasn’t she your leader or something before she…?”

“She wasn’t just our leader,” Pearl refuted in slight annoyance, “she was a part of our family.” The Crystal Gem looked at the picture a bit differently than everyone else, Aqua noticed. Kind of a longing, loving kind of way.

“Were you two…?” Pearl blushed instantly, becoming annoyed.

“That’s none of your business!” Aqua threw her hands up in defense.

“Sorry, I didn’t know…” “It’s fine,” Garnet said, walking over to put a hand on Pearl’s shoulder and calm her down.

“She was my mom,” Steven said, coming over to stand next to Aquamarine.

“When she had me, I think that… she gave up her physical form to make me. I never even got to know her.” He lifted up his shirt so that she could see the gem on his stomach. “My dad always says that I remind him of my mom, but… it would’ve been nice to meet her at least once.” He put his shirt back down as Aqua crouched next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder in comfort. He looked at her with sad eyes. It broke her heart.

“I’m sure she’d love you no matter what, and be very proud of you as well,” she said, smiling warmly. The boy smiled back.

“Thanks.” There was a quick silence before Amethyst spoke up again.

“Well, now that we’ve all been introduced,” she said casually, stretching and getting off of the kitchen counter, “I’m gonna get something to eat from the boardwalk. Y’all can come if you want.”

“I’ll go,” Aqua answered willingly, standing up straight.

“Me too!” Steven piped up as Amethyst passed the two, already opening the door.

“Pearl and I will stay here,” Garnet decided as Pearl eyed Aqua in distrust. The new gem glanced back at her, a frown appearing on her face for a second.

“What’s wrong?” Steven asked, looking up at Aqua. She only shrugged it off.

“Nothing, nothing. Just thinking is all. Let’s go.” The three new friends walked away, and onto the beach. But Aquamarine couldn’t help but wonder how in the world she was going to be able to live with a gem she had battled against during the war-

Pearl.


	5. Donuts and Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aqua, Steven, and Amethyst eat some donuts, and then Aqua tells a story.

Aquamarine strolled along the boardwalk with Steven and Amethyst as they ate their donuts- Aqua’s being strawberry glazed, Steven’s chocolate with strawberry icing, and Amethyst’s a double chocolate.

“So,” the purple quartz began as she shoved her entire donut into her mouth, “how long have you been here, anyways?” The taller gem looked at her, swallowing the bite she had taken.

“Who, me?”

“Uh, yeah,” Amethyst said matter-of-factly. “You’re the new one here, aren’t you?” Aqua shrugged, finishing her snack.

“I suppose.” She sighed, running a hand through her shoulder-length, wavy hair. “Well, I’ve been here for a few thousand years. Nothing special.” Steven and Amethyst both gave each other suspicious looks, then glanced back at each other. “What?”

“You gotta tell us the entire thing,” the Quartz said, flipping her long hair off of her shoulder. “Y’know, the whole shebang.” Aqua smiled at her enthusiasm, and Steven spoke up as well.

“Yeah!” He said, mouth full of donut. He swallowed before finishing his thought. “Tell us your story.” The taller gem giggled, ruffling Steven’s hair as she thought for a moment. 

“My story?” 

“Yeah, you know, how you got here in the first place, how you’re not… corrupted.”

“Oh. Well, I supposed I could tell you. You might want to sit down, though.” Amethyst’s face lit up with excitement.

“Ooh, I can already tell it’s going to be good!” So Aqua’s two new friends took a seat on a nearby bench, and Aqua sat down in front of them.

“Where should I start…? I guess how I got here would be good.” She cleared her throat and began to tell her story.

“So, as I’m sure you guys know, I was actually originally from Homeworld. I was a second-generation Aquamarine, and we were meant for battling as well as engineering. In Facet Six- the one I was made from- we were assistants for the gems on Facet Five.” She paused for a moment to look at Steven and Amethyst. SHe could tell they were paying attention. “At first, we only did engineering, since there was no need for soldiers at the time. We helped repair and fix weapons for the Homeworld army to use. It was the same thing every day. But then we started getting low on soldiers to fight.   
      
That’s when we- Aquamarines- started to get assigned together as groups to go to Earth and fight. We were never really sure what Earth was even capable of, only that it was our job to defend our home planet. I sometimes heard rumors of the strength of the Crystal Gems and what they could do together, as a team, even though they were all different from one another. I thought it sounded amazing.”

“Awh, shucks,” Amethyst interrupted, acting flattered. “We were only doing what we had to.” Aqua smiled. 

“I know, but it still amazed me.” Aqua sighed, going back to her train of thought. “And ever since those rumors started, I started thinking. If they could be free to do what they wanted instead of what we were made for, why couldn’t we? I never understood why we fought our own kind just because we are a bit different. It wasn’t right to me. And I had always secretly felt that I was meant for so much more than just my… original purpose.” She touched the gem on her upper left arm. “I was bored of doing the same exact thing every day. I wanted to change. I wanted to be... a Crystal Gem.” Steven smiled brightly in excitement, eyes full of admiration.

“Wow!”   
“So how did you get away?” Amethyst asked. Aqua blushed, embarrassed. 

“It was nothing too amazing,” she shrugged. “But i can tell you what happened if you want me to.”

“Yeah!”

“Alright then. Well, it was about the middle of the war, when almost everyone that could fight were being sent out to battle on Earth. I knew that eventually my group of Aquamarines would be sent to fight as well. I was scared when we actually had to go, though. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to get away or someone would catch me and expect that I was fighting for Homeworld. But what I was most afraid of was having to go back at all. They’d shatter me if the knew what I was trying to do. But I found the strength in myself to hide my doubts and go on with my plan.

So once we got to Earth, we were immediately bombarded with Crystal Gem soldiers. They came from every direction, and our group was separated easily since we were… out of sorts. One of us was defeated almost instantly, and we were surrounded. I thought I was done for.”

“So then what did you do?” Steven asked, more than interested.

“I ran.” Aqua looked at him with intense and excited eyes, her mind just racing at the memory. “It was the only thing I could think to do without having to ‘poof’ anyone. I just dodged and ran as fast as I could. I barely made it out in one piece, but I found my little cave and stayed there until I got better. And it became my little home-base.”

“Amazing!” The human gem stood up, arms spread out wide to express himself.

“Wow, Aqua. Sounds like you went through a lot,” Amethyst said in awe. “Did you get into any battles?”

“Yeah, actually. In fact, there was one time where-” Suddenly, a phone chimed. Steven smiled in embarrassment. 

“Sorry,” he said, “Could I answer this really quickly?”

“Go ahead, take your time. I need to take a breather, anyways.” The boy stepped away, pressing the answer button on his phone and saying, “Hello?” Aqua sat in his spot on the bench, the weird warmth of it grossing her out a bit. She cringed a little.

“So, do you like it here?” Amethyst questioned, stretching her arms as she stood up on the bench. Aqua scoffed playfully.

“What kind of a question even is that? I LOVE it here. There’s friendly people, a beach, an arcade, and a place just for french fries. What’s not to love?”

“Well, I mean, don’t you ever get bored? Staying in the same place all the time?” Aqua hadn’t thought about this. Well, she actually had, but never thought that anyone would ever care enough to ask.

“I mean, I guess. But where would I go? I don’t really want to leave…”

“No, silly,” Amethyst laughed, “I mean go other places to battle other corrupted gems, or even just to go just because.”

“Oh. Well, I think I’d like that a lot, actually. But how…?”

“We have a warp pad,” the Quartz answered. “Didn’t you see it? I mean it’s right there when you walk into the house.” Aqua suddenly remembered the teleportation device she had seen when she first walked into the Universe household. She had gotten so wrapped up in her life story that she had forgotten all about it.

“Oh, yeah. Right. But do you think that Garnet or Pearl would let me- or let us- use it?”

“Ya just gotta ask, that’s all,” Amethyst said, shrugging. “But if you want a possible ‘yes’, you might want to ask Garnet.”  
“Noted.” That’s when Steven walked back over to the two gems, putting his phone in his pocket.

“That was Connie,” he said, sounding a bit exasperated. “She said she’s not gonna be able to make it over this week; Doctor Maheshwaren has to work overtime every day.”

“Aw, it’s okay Steve-o,” Amethyst said, putting an arm over Steven’s shoulders in comfort. “I’m sure she’ll be able to come practice next week.”

“Yeah! And then we’ll be able to improve our battle skills!” He playfully punched Amethyst in the arm, earning a headlock and a noogie as they both laughed. Aqua chuckled in amusement. She really liked these two.

“Well, I guess we should head back to the house,” Amethyst sighed, letting Steven go as he shook out his head full of hair. She started walking back towards where they had come from, hands behind her head in a carefree manner. Aqua and Steven followed her.

“Okay,” Aqua responded, “but are you sure that they’ll let me use the warp pad?”

“Use the warp pad?” Steven spoke up, picking up a random rock and throwing it into the ocean.

“Oh! I was just telling Aquamarine here that Garnet and Pearl would be okay with her using the warp pad,” the shorter gem explained. 

“I dunno about that,” the other said. “I mean I know I trust you, and you seem like a nice person,” he told Aqua, looking up at her, “But we did just meet you this morning. I’m just worried that they’ll say no because they don’t know you well yet. And if they do let you go, you’re definitely not going by yourself.” The greenish-blue gem sighed. 

“Yeah, I see what you mean.” She ran a hand through her hair, the ocean breeze messing it up a bit. “I suppose I can wait.” She ruffled the human gem’s hair a bit, making him laugh goofily. The three had already reached the monument holding the beach house, and the uniqueness once again struck the new gem as amazing. As Steven and Amethyst raced to the stairs, Aqua followed, running as fast as she could and having the time of her life for the first time in a long time.


End file.
